AN: Wanted to address something I've received a couple PM's about; I truly do not mind criticism in the slightest, so please do not go after one another in private spats over messaging or elsewhere. I have no interest in slighting those who have qualms with what I'm doing here and don't have any intention of deleting negative views for the sake… I don't know, self-preservation of my feelings in the form of ignorance? Not sure what exactly to call it, but I'm more than aware that what I'm doing is going to bother a few people and certain choices I make while writing will not be to everyone's preferences. That's totally fine and I completely get it. It's a part of the process, both the writing and the learning. I know this isn't a flawless work and I hope nothing I said has implied that I stand behind this as some masterpiece. Truly, it's just something I like doing and negative response will be part of that and to those of you dissatisfied with the direction some things have taken or who have voiced grievances previously, know that I have absolutely nothing but appreciation for you: you've taken the time to read my work all the way through 21 chapters now, and that isn't unnoticed. I'm sure you wouldn't be taking the time to tell me how you feel if you didn't care, (or mayhaps, you're just a troll, but I deeply doubt that XD), and please know I hold no ill will towards any of you and really am glad you've come along at all.
And lastly, to those of you just along for the ride and are truly enjoying yourselves, a sincere thanks as well. I suppose I would also be lying if I said that if everything left in response to this work was negative, I wouldn't be supremely discouraged to continue it, so much love to all of you as well; this would be a much harder process without the support.
Anyways, enough of all that sentimental stuff, I'm sure you're all just here for another chapter ;) and I hope very much that you enjoy! Much love to each and every one of you, thanks so much for stopping by; and feel free to drop me a review or a PM, always love hearing from you guys!
Chapter 22: Burning Sky
Had it been any other day, the sun's rise into the sky would have continued to pale the sky until the morning shone with a bright blue radiance that would have lit the day with extraordinary splendor. On this day, however, such a sight was nothing more than a wish.
Finally passing close to the atmosphere, the comet crossed paths with the sun on the light they shone and the sky was plunged into a dark haze as though night had just fallen again. But the fervent orange glow pierced the sky with a driving and angry heat, lighting the clouds with a dark glow as the massive object smeared a path across the sky. Whole villages emptied into their streets, cities saw their populations drawn to the windows and doors as the entire populace beneath that dark star looked up to see what had become of their sky.
Sozin's Comet burned its way overhead, ever relentless as it chased its path.
Obito stared out into the surreal sky as he leaned against an iron fixture in the planning room aboard the Fire Lord's airship. This was to be the day then, the day of reckoning that would have come regardless of his exposure to this world. The comet wasn't visible just then behind the layer of clouds that seemed to wrap the earth, but there was a strangely claustrophobic feeling as he imagined the massive celestial object roaring its way just above the atmosphere.
Use of the Kamui had gone quite well, despite a strange tug that Obito was certain had just been the side effect of using it for the first time in a while, but quite frankly, this was the only positive swing towards his current predicament.
The early morning had passed with great speed following his evacuating of Ozai off of the capital ship. The Fire Lord had been quite furious with leaving the vessel to be overtaken and explode, though he had acknowledged it likely the only prudent course of action in that instant. He had insisted Obito accompany him to his airship where aboard they moved to the planning room to await the arrival of Ozai's lead military individuals. As they had waited, Obito had silently regarded the Fire Lord's overall demeanor and quickly noticed that, despite his clear efforts to remain in control, he had been severely rattled by the night's previous events.
"Are you sure you're alright to go ahead with this?" Obito had asked and Ozai had snapped him with a look as though he had forgotten he wasn't alone.
"Yes, of course. Reclamation of the city and the security of my brother just have me… perhaps a tad on edge," had been the reply. "On edge" might have been a bit of an understatement and even with the introduction of about a dozen highly ranking individuals into the room, Ozai had still seemed quite harried despite his best efforts to hide it.
Obito had to remind himself that it didn't matter a great deal to him what the mental state of the Fire Lord was; if the city was secured, and Iroh and the other prisoners of war were found to be safe, he could put his cooperation with the Fire Lord behind him and move forward. The faster this could all be resolved, the better.
"… and we imagine that the drill, despite its earlier failing under Princess Azula's command, can be used to funnel our troops into the city, should we be able to get them close enough," a female general was saying before a laid out map of what must have been Ba Sing Se.
"I am inclined to agree with General Ixa's plan," a much larger and imposing man was saying. He was so enormous in fact that the top of his helmet seemed to brush the ceiling. "Relying on the very limited amount of toxin that we have would be foolish and a gambit at best; its effects wouldn't last long enough even if we laid it over the entire city. Within a matter of a half hour, their bending would be restored and any plan surrounding would be shot. If we are able, however, to filter men into the drill from its rear entrance…"
He indicated this spot on the map with a massive finger.
"… then we can have their enhanced firebending burn a hole through the drill itself and then we will have a direct line into the city for a ground assault. These men will be able to keep the defenders of the city occupied until such a time as the airships reach a place where we will be able to attack the city from above as well."
"It's simply a matter of splitting their attention. Once we have both our men on the ground and in the sky attacking the city, they won't stand a chance," said a man who Obito believed was in charge of the air fleet itself.
If Fire Lord Ozai didn't directly respond to this after several long seconds, it might have been believed he hadn't been paying attention. A single hand was playing with the hem of his sleeve and his eyes were almost distant.
"The wall…" he finally murmured and the collection of people around the table exchanged looks.
"Yes, your highness," General Ixa finally said. "The wall is a problem for certain. It has remained the strongest opposition to our forces since the war's commencement. With no way to destroy it feasibly, we must simply rely on a coordinated assault to work around the admittedly large snag it presents."
There was a pause and she looked around at her fellow commanders who gave her reassuring looks before she said, "I'm sorry to be frank, your highness, but there really isn't anything to be concerned about. With the Comet on our side, there is no reason why—"
"There is another issue at hand," Ozai growled quite suddenly and his commanding men and women looked to him with intent and open curiosity. The Fire Lord stroked his beard before continuing.
"New players are afoot that must be accounted for."
The massive general shifted his weight, his armor practically rumbling as he did. "We have read the reports that the Avatar as well as… well, your children are very likely to be on the front line of this conflict."
"Not them," Ozai snapped almost dismissively. "And I thought I made it clear that those miserable disappointments were not to be mentioned in my presence, General Ako?"
His great stature and size notwithstanding, General Ako bowed his head in a sign of penance. Ozai continued to glower for a moment before carrying on, walking slowly around the table and his generals, and speaking in a tone that made it very clear this was perhaps the most troubling to him of all the potential obstacles between him and winning the war.
"I have been made recently aware of some people residing within our world that don't exactly conform to our idea of how the natural order works. They have shown themselves to be unique, dangerous and quite powerful. Most importantly two of them have shown to be in complete opposition to me and will stand between us and our conquest of Ba Sing Se."
The generals exchanged glances of confusion and concern; General Ako spoke up then, "What exactly… are they capable of?"
Ozai fixed him with a deeply annoyed gaze. "Please, general. When your battalions arrived at my palace on the night of the storm, did you really think that my daughter on her own had completely destroyed the back foyer and surrounding yard, leaving dozens of my royal guards in pieces?"
Seemingly, being reminded of this event caused a look of tension to seemingly pass over all the commanding officers present. This seemed to satisfy Ozai who gave a short nod before continuing.
"You've all surely noticed that I have a guest with me, though you've all done a proper job in not questioning my choice of company."
Damn.
Obito supposed he knew that he would be turned to at some point but it still caused him a slight squirm of discomfort as all eyes turned to him.
"This is Obito," Ozai explained. "He is one of the three of these unique individuals who has fortunately shown the maturity and wisdom enough to not side with terrorists. He is as well, exceptionally powerful and will no doubt be of much help to us in our endeavor to liberate the city."
The Fire Lord spread his hands in what must have been a gesture of a request.
"Could you perhaps inform us all of what we might expect out of these two? I've had my experience with the younger firsthand, but I'm certain you still are a better one to talk on the subject."
For a moment, Obito stared back as the Fire Lord and each of his generals watched him closely. He pondered just a moment as he thought over just what revealing such information might mean for his world as a whole before shrugging it off. These people would never set foot within it nor would anything he told them be of any real consequence to him in the long run. He supposed if it was, he could always just kill them later.
"Sure," he said and took a step forward. On the table over the map were several small figurines, used for indicating troop massing and size. Each one might have stood for a hundred, or a thousand soldiers, but as he gently picked up two of them and stood them up, he supposed it would have been just as well. It would take quite an amount of these soldiers to pose a threat to anyone like an Uchiha.
"Sasuke and Itachi. Brothers, and both very dangerous, as aforementioned."
Obito looked over the map and set eyes on the wall of the city that was supposedly such an enormous hindrance by way of conquest.
"Any one man of this world they can defeat. Any one hundred men. Likely any one thousand men."
"No one could take that many Fire Nation soldiers and survive," General Ako growled, his voice rumbling over the room like grinding iron. Obito pointed a finger at him.
"No one you know of."
He directed his gaze back to the map as it was lit by the darkish red coloration blazing through the sky outside.
"I can't guarantee I can stop both of them. Sasuke is stronger than I expected and I know Itachi is perhaps one of the greatest warriors our kind has ever seen."
"So you cannot stop them and we cannot stop them," Ozai said in a low tone. "Then there is no hope? We are to call off our assault?"
Obito caught the sarcasm in the Fire Lord's tone and he realized that if he hadn't been a part of this effort than the Fire Nation's advance would have still worn on as hopeless as it might have been. He ignored it as he clarified.
"If even just one of them is there at this wall, you will never be able to get troops inside the city from the ground or the air. Any airships get too close and they'll be blown from the sky, and anyone coming from the ground will be torn to pieces."
"Then we must attack on both fronts at once, as we've suggested," the commander of the fleet snapped, sounding impatient.
"Hopeless," Obito said, shaking his head. "Even if you sacrifice the manpower necessary to either force troops in through this drill or drop them from your airships, they wouldn't be in the city long before Sasuke and or Itachi deal with the threat on the outside before turning their attention to the inside."
"So, do you have a suggestion or are you implying that we are defeated before we even attack?" General Ixa asked him, much more reserved in her tone. Placing a finger on the thick line that indicated the wall's presence, Obito replied.
"It would seem to me that the primary issue with invading the city is this wall. It can be defended easily, and your only point of breach is this tiny entrance provided by this drill, assuming getting troops through it even works."
He took the following silence as confirmation of what he said and continued, "If you distract the brothers on one front, the other front becomes subject to the Earth and Water Nation's combined forces. On the ground, they might be badly outpowered by your men and women, compliments of the abilities this comet will provide, but there will still be a great deal of resistance, and what good is all that firepower if you're funneling everyone through this puny entrance?"
"Is there a point in highlighting our potential failure?" Ako asked testily.
"Only in suggesting another plan that might work," Obito shot back. "This toxin, what is it precisely? And how much is there?
The sudden change in topic seemed to strike the general off guard, but he replied after only a moment. "It is a gas that is tightly compressed in canisters. Upon inhaling it, a bender will find their chi points blocked off for a brief period of about a half hour we've found after testing. During this time, they will be unable to bend whatever element they previously were able to maneuver."
"And how much of this do you have? It sounds like not enough to make a useful impact?"
The general shook his head. "We'd be able to run a sweep over the top of the wall and over into the city about a half kilometer in is all. The defenders affected would be out of commission until the toxin wore off."
"And what's the downside to this?" Obito asked.
"The timing is suspect. We've had benders able to return to form from as early as fifteen minutes to an hour later. The half hour is just a rough estimate. We also can't be sure of how quickly the gas will dissipate, potentially meaning we'd be exposing our troops on the ground to it, or if it did dissipate, it might get high enough to affect the benders aboard our airships before it becomes undone."
Obito looked at the map as he considered this. Even with all he knew now, there was only one way he was able to proceed and that was through guessing just how the brothers would play a factor. If they were both there, they would be side by side, no doubt; Itachi would want to ensure Sasuke's safety, and Sasuke would never want to be taken from his brother's side following their little reunion. He thought things over and then he did so again, and again, until he knew he had ironed it out as much as he was possibly able.
"Put troops on the ground here," he said, indicating a point several kilometers from the wall. "Have them move towards the wall and prepare for an assault on the area by the drill. They will have prepared for this and will have defenders at the wall to defend it. Keep the airships just behind them, close enough to be near enough for an attack but far enough that attention will remain on the ground forces."
He circled the area around the drill.
"I've spent time with Sasuke, and know how he'll react. He wants to defend these people, he's developed connections with them. He'll be there to meet the ground forces head on."
"And what makes you think he won't watch for our airships while the Earth and Water Nation soldiers focus on our ground assault?" inquired the air fleet commander.
"Because they won't be able to," Obito answered. "Because you're going to drop your entire supply of toxin over the wall as the good general here as speculated."
Ako shifted with some clear grievance towards this idea. "That's a one time gambit, and we won't get another advantage like that if we waste it immediately."
"You won't need to use it again," Obito said as he looked at the wall drawn on the map, visualizing it in his head, remembering how it had looked when he and Iroh had approached it days before.
"How can you be sure?" General Ixa asked, but her voice was already distant to Obito who was already deep in thought.
"Because it won't be necessary after that," was all he said.
Katara was just finishing redressing when she heard a sharp knock at her door.
"Come in."
The door creaked open to reveal Toph standing there, looking quite reinvigorated after what might have been a nap of her own. Katara's had been quite necessary, the couple hours she had taken being enough to give her a great spurt of energy, no doubt also fueled by their current predicament and the stress that implied. Katara didn't even have a chance to ask how Toph was doing before the earthbender snapped quite quickly.
"Do you know where Sasuke is?"
There was a pause as Katara only blinked as she processed the question and finally answered with a slow, "I don't know."
Pulling a face, Toph crossed her arms and muttered, "No one does."
"What do you mean 'no one does'?" Katara asked as she shook down her sleeve and moved away from the wardrobe that occupied the guest room.
"I mean exactly what I said," Toph said somewhat aggressively. "I've asked everyone where he is, except for Azula who isn't answering her door. And nobody has any idea. No one saw him come upstairs and lay down and no one has seen him since we all came up earlier."
Thinking back to earlier, Katara remembered what she could from the brief meeting that she had nearly passed out during.
"Did you ask Jin?" she finally asked, believing that she had been the last one in the room with Sasuke and Iroh. Pulling another face, Toph asked, "Why would I? She's not with us."
Shrugging her shoulders, Katara said hesitantly, "Well, she was apparently with Sasuke for a good bit when he landed here and was unconscious. They seemed to be hitting it off okay and she was the last one in the dining room with him earlier."
It struck her then just how much saying those two sentences caused her stomach to churn quite suddenly; ahead of her Toph grit her teeth.
"She was?"
Without another word, she turned and looked as though she were about to go charging off in search of Jin before the very topic of their conversation came around the corner, looking in worriedly.
Jin was carrying herself very gingerly and still looked quite worn out from her ordeal, but there was still a very vibrant look in her eyes that echoed of the concern that carried over in her voice.
"Hey, have either of you seen Sasuke?"
"We were actually just talking about that," Katara started but before she could get much further or try and rationalize the sudden rush of annoyance that came from seeing Jin, Toph spoke up quite abruptly.
"Yeah, I've seen him. He's doing good, said he doesn't want to be bothered though," the earthbender said rather loudly. Katara stared at her as Jin looked down to her as well.
"Oh. Okay. Well, I just hadn't seen him since I woke up and—"
"Yeah, he's fine," Toph practically barked. Jin bit her lower lip and her brow furrowed nervously but she said nothing else and made to head back the hall, giving Katara a short wave as she did. It was on the tip of Katara's tongue to call her back as she really needed to look over her injury again, but just then, she found she couldn't really stand being in Jin's presence.
"Why did you lie?" she asked Toph quietly when enough time had passed for Jin to be out of earshot.
"Because, like I said, she's not one of us," Toph snapped. "She doesn't get to stick her nose into issues like this."
Toph's abrasive attitude gave Katara pause for a moment before the actual gravity of what this was all about stuck with her. If Sasuke was missing, it could mean any number of things; he could have been taken by the authorities of the city while they were sleeping, he could have run off, he could have gone to do something totally rash… it was rather mentally detrimental just to think about.
"I'm going to look for him. He could be in trouble." Katara heard herself speak in halting tones but as she made to walk quickly to the door, Toph quickly moved to stand in her way.
"No," the earthbender growled then, her voice a fair bit menacing in its own right.
"What are you talking about?" Katara asked, starting to feel properly uneasy at how the girl was acting.
"You don't get to be worried about him either. Not you of all people." Toph's tone had dropped into a tone that was as threatening as anything Katara had ever heard, and she found that it was actually scaring her.
"Toph, I don't know what you're talking about. Of course I'm worried about him, why wouldn't I—"
She didn't have a chance to finish before the rock laced foundation at her feet suddenly sprang up and knocked her to the ground before returning to where it had originally been laid. Wincing at the pain in her arm that she had just fallen on, Katara looked back forward, eyes wide as Toph stalked towards her.
"I…. truly can't believe you, Katara. After everything you did, you're really going to pull that shit right in front of me?"
Katara was at a loss for words as Toph stalked over to stand above her, glowering down with pure venom.
"After all those times I defended him, all the times I had to stand between him and your crazy ass while you humiliated him, degraded him and tried to kill him, now you're going to come along and act like you can just sweep him up?"
Closing her eyes as she realized just what Toph was insinuating, Katara closed her eyes and groaned.
"Toph, that isn't it at all," she said carefully. There was a part of her, an obnoxious and sick part of her that was laughing at the prospect of taking the chance indeed and trying to mill for Sasuke's affection; who was Toph to tell her she couldn't? But the common sense in her rose up, reminding her that it could never be between the two of them anyway. Sasuke was far too unpredictable, far too mysterious, far too dominant, far too aggressive, far too malefic…
It was a moment before Katara realized that the things she was listing in her head were all things she found most alluring about him. Still, she knew she couldn't have Toph against her here, not now of all times.
"I just want to know where he is too," she said simply. "That's all there is to it. For better or worse, he's one of us, and I owe it to him to keep track of him, especially after all she's done."
She did her best in keeping her voice factual and unemotional in the hopes that it would alleviate Toph's sudden sour mood as well as the fact that the earthbender couldn't see her cheeks flushing. There was a pause as Toph glared in her direction, impossible to read in regards to whether or not she had been appeased.
"What happened between you two at that cave?" she finally asked and Katara grit her teeth as her heart suddenly began to pound. It had of course been one of the most intimate moments she had shared with any of them, Sasuke aside. She had said things that she would never have said had it been more than just the two of them and it had been the first time she had openly allowed herself to feel something more than hate for him. And it had been such a surprise to feel all that there had been, brewing beneath the surface beneath all her enmity.
"He saved my life, Toph," Katara deflected testily. "I had just recently come to when you all found us. He took me out of my clothes to prevent me from catching cold, if you must know, but this was all when I was asleep and it was of no real consequence to anyone."
Toph had indeed bristled at this mention, but Katara had purposefully revealed that rather personal detail in an attempt to derail the girl's train of thought and get her mind of whatever assumptions she was making. After a long silence as Katara waited with bated breath, Toph finally spun away towards the door.
"You don't need to worry, I'll find him," she snapped and was gone. Katara let several long seconds pass before she breathed out a long sigh quietly.
It had of course been stupid not to see why Toph had grown so angry so quickly; since his earlier days, she had been the one to open up to him and to openly show him something of kindness and understanding. Katara had seen them both sleeping together against the fallen tree on the beach, hiding not from herself the vehement fury the sight might have instilled, but rather the warm feeling it gave her deep down. She had always known what Toph clearly had picked up on early, that Sasuke was hardly someone to be so openly hateful of, that there was much more to him than danger and hostility.
Katara clenched her fists as she knew that it had been just that singular deviance in her thinking, the lack of heart and understanding she had shown him that had been granted to just about everyone else, that she had used to shelter her own feelings. There was something very attractive about him, something that drew her in like a moth to a flame. But with their overall situation, the war and her feelings for Aang, she had hidden behind hate. It had been quite easy to do. Certainly easier than dealing with these feelings now.
Muttering a curse that would have made even Sokka redden at the ears, she got to her feet and went to look for Jin.
Before they had even neared the wall, Sasuke had picked up on the changing color of the early morning sky. By the time they were near its base, there was a definite shift away from the pale blue coloration that had accompanied him earlier and when he had scaled the wall to its top and stood looking out over the vast plains of desert and desolation before him, the color above had taken on a sickening, orangish hue. On the horizon, a mass of clouds was gathered, and behind them seemed to be where the light was shining the thickest, hidden though it was behind the blanket of black clouds.
He didn't need to bring it up in passing to Iroh who made no mention of it either. And as they walked along the length of the wall's top towards a large gathering of troops, he was certain everyone within that city who gazed upon the sky now knew exactly what was happening.
Instead, he asked quietly, "How many people are in the city?"
Iroh's face pulled in what looked like deep pain as he replied in a tone just as quiet, "We've imagined several thousand have left in pilgrimage elsewhere in an attempt at evacuation, but most have stayed based on what we know. I would guess at around two hundred thousand people remain."
If we don't stop them, this will be genocide.
That single thought was enough even to give Sasuke pause as he considered it.
They neared the group of soldiers and as Sasuke looked past their initial number he realized that the armored men stretched far down the length of the wall, positioned just center to where Ozai's fleet had been situated in the southwestern waters. Iroh raised a hand as they came within earshot.
"General Gokan," he called out and a broad-shouldered man with a mane of blonde hair turned. He raised a hand in reply and barked an order to the men surrounding him and they dispersed hurriedly, heading up and down the wall's length. He matched Iroh and Sasuke's stride and they came face to face moments later.
"It is good to see you, Iroh," the general said in a voice like cracking stone. "Our time is nearly up."
"Any word from the leadership council?" Iroh asked and Gokan scoffed as he crossed his arms.
"Petulant children. I was there a half hour ago to find they had made little to no headway in approving a plan of attack or defense. I imagine they will be in those chambers bickering like frightened schoolchildren until the moment the alarm is raised, then they will all scamper to their safehouses and wait to surrender."
Iroh grunted, "I had feared that."
The general reached out and put a hand on Iroh's shoulder. "But we need not their permission nor planning. I have been arranging defensive lines and commands with Commander Ungo of the Water Nation this entire past evening."
His expression softened as he regarded Iroh gently. "It is my understanding that you are a refugee and are no more required to defend this city than a passing iguana parrot, but based on all the help you have provided us with, I must ask—"
Raising a pair of weathered hands, Iroh smiled. "You need not finish that thought, General. I will see this through to the end, no matter how dire our situation may become."
Gokan's face spread in a wide smile. "We are thrilled to hear it."
Finally, he looked past the older man and lay a pair of scanning eyes on Sasuke. It was clear the general was doing his best to size him up and Sasuke made no attempt to break eye contact, though a piece of him relished the idea of letting his Sharingan flash a moment to give the general a good jump.
"First time I've seen you outside the company of your group of friends and here you have someone I don't believe I've met," he finally said. Iroh half-turned to gesture in both their directions.
"General, this is Sasuke. Do not let his age fool you, he is more powerful than any bender I've ever met."
Gokan spent a long moment of quiet simply staring Sasuke up and down, but then surprised Sasuke quite suddenly by smiling and extending a hand.
"I'm delighted to hear. Any help we can get is more than welcome."
Sasuke took the man's large hand and shook it, still quite surprised that the general had made no attempt to inquire just what Iroh had meant by his brief, but deeply differential vouching.
"There is more," Iroh said and the general returned his attention to him. "The Avatar lives and has just arrived in the city."
This seemed to be just as shocking news as Sasuke guessed it might have sounded as the general blinked several times and swallowed slowly before slowly breaking into a fresh smile.
"If so… that is quite wonderful news indeed." He put a hand over his mouth and slowly paced away a moment, clearly taking in this information before turning back, a wildly excited expression on his face. "This could be just what we need! Before it was as much a shot in the dark as anything, but with the Avatar… surely things can be turned in our favor!"
Iroh's expression was much more reserved as he added, "General, while this is indeed tremendous news, the Avatar is still a boy. We cannot hang all the success of winning this war on his shoulders."
Gokan waved hastily, "Of course, of course, we will do our part… but was it not written that it would be the Avatar who would strike down the Fire Lord in the days of Sozin's Comet? Was it not foreseen that he would be Ozai's downfall? Why the Fire Nation turned genocidal on the Air Nation in an attempt to stifle that very possibility?"
"Prophecy only gets you so far," Sasuke said, before he even realized he had something to say. "If Aang can't beat Ozai, then he can't beat Ozai and it will be up to us to back him up."
There was a very angry feeling deep inside him he realized that was furious of the prospect that so many people seemed to have with Aang, that you could just use him as you will, never mind that he was really just a kid. Both older man regarded him with a moment of silence, Iroh looking both surprised and impressed and the general seeming to regain control of his excitement, looking almost embarrassed.
"Yes, of course, nothing to be taken for granted…"
Returning to a state of overall stoicism that he had initially greeted Iroh and Sasuke with, he looked out towards the shroud of black clouds that seemed to drift ever closer. Iroh and Sasuke stepped up beside him and Sasuke looked closely with his Sharingan as aid, but could see nothing.
"So, the defenses are set?" he asked, and the general nodded, gesturing around him as he replied.
"We have our strongest benders atop the wall to bombard any airships as best we can with earthbending. Any ground assault will be met with a combination of earth and waterbenders as Commander Ungo has been able to funnel much of the underground irrigation of the city to a reservoir beneath us for them to draw from. We anticipate that if they are going to try and move on the city from the ground, they will try and enter through the hide of that great metal worm they used months ago."
Sasuke looked down to see what looked like a massive drill of some kind jutting into the wall below, barricaded off with walls of earth.
"We can hopefully funnel them quite well there, so the main focus will be slowing their aerial advance and taking down their airships as quickly as we can."
Taking this in, Sasuke nodded and continued staring out towards the horizon, intently glaring into the mass of clouds. Next to him, Gokan shifted his gaze down towards Sasuke and chuckled. "We probably have some hours yet, son, there's no need to be quite tense just yet. When the alarms sound… well, then I think everyone ought to be wearing an expression like that."
Sasuke looked to the general.
"When do the alarms sound?"
Gokan's expression darkened.
"When little orange lights appear ahead of those clouds. Those will be the airships on their final approach, and that will be when our will is going to be truly tested."
Sasuke stayed above a while longer before excusing himself and heading back down the wall, ensuring he mentioned to Iroh he would return. Had this last matter not occurred to him, he would have been perfectly content remaining atop the wall until the airships were visible on the horizon. But this was something that he certainly ought to deal with and he needed to do so now. Honestly, it should have been done the moment they all reunited, but Azula's rather malicious escapades had caused it to slip his mind.
As opposed to the relatively empty streets that he and Iroh had approached the wall through, the dirt roads were now milling with people of all kinds. From individuals to families, people moved about in a state of reserved panic and fear, the changing color of the sky no doubt indicating what was coming. Sasuke had half a mind to shout at them and curse them for fools, telling them to flee the city before they were out of time, but he simply pushed his way through the mobs as he listened to frightened prayers, empty words of assurance and shouts of outright dread and anxiety. Everyone he walked by seemed to be completely and utterly resigned on a certain level that their home was about to be invaded again, and this time, perhaps destroyed.
Sasuke allowed himself a moment to feel sorry for the throngs of humanity that pushed about aimlessly, trying to find some solace in what surely seemed to be impending doom. To be so powerless, so completely useless in such a time of desperation was certainly a difficult thing.
Though, if I have anything to say about it, they won't need to worry all that badly.
There was no doubt in his mind that he could single-handedly annihilate Ozai's forces on his own, if it came to that. Through use of his Susanoo, Chidori and perhaps Kirin, or many other jutsu available to him, the airships would be easily eliminated, and any ground forces would be a joke. It might be a balancing act of sorts, but should be quite doable; he had considered running out across the plains to meet them, but if he removed himself too far from the city, that could open Ba Sing Se up to sneak attacks from unseen forces and Sasuke knew he had to keep close to the city to ensure he could be in as many places at once as possible.
But the real issue was of course Obito.
Even since waking up in Jin's care, Sasuke felt even more rejuvenated in his chakra and abilities, but how his engagement with Obito had gone prior, he knew that this would be a challenge regardless. Itachi had spoken briefly of Obito's Rinnegan and that was certainly cause for concern, as it likely held more abilities that Sasuke knew he had to be ready for despite not knowing exactly what could be done with that eye.
It was not lost on Sasuke that he very well could die himself.
Itachi…
The name and remembrance of his brother kept coming back to strike him and stun him with the knowledge that his brother was in fact alive and here in this world with him. Through whatever means, they didn't matter to Sasuke just then; just having his brother back in his life was a blessing he couldn't even quite begin to qualify.
But Itachi wasn't there, he hadn't arrived in Ba Sing Se yet. And Sasuke couldn't wait for him. If he arrived in time to aid in the efforts, that was all fine and good, likely even meaning they could secure victory as there was no chance Obito could stand up to both of them at the same time. But Sasuke knew that right now, on that day, he had to remain focused. He had a certain set of tasks before him to complete and the first on the list actually wasn't win a war.
As if on cue, he heard a much more solid voice, one alive with determination and strain, echo through the throng of people as he pushed towards the street on which was Pao's teashop.
"Would you people move, some of us actually have places to be, and you all bumbling about like idiots is hardly helpful to that end!"
The corners of Sasuke's mouth pulled as he recognized Toph's aggressive tone in just a couple words. Shouldering his way past a few more people, he caught sight of her short frame doing the same as him, but as he caught sight of her face, he stopped. Her expression hardly matched her annoyed and confident tone, and as he peered closer with aid of his Sharignan, he saw that she was actually shaking.
He supposed being blind in a mob of commotion and noise was hardly an enjoyable experience.
In the blink of an eye, he dashed through the crowd and lifted her up, one hand holding her back, the other under her knees. Before she had time to even explain, he had whisked them onto the roof of Pao's building complex, no doubt leaving behind a few stunned individuals, looking around for the blur of color that had just knocked them out of the way in quite the speedy hit and run.
As he set her back on her feet, Sasuke watched her expression quickly try and cover up her surprise and earlier anxiety, and she crossed her arms, looking at him huffily.
"Where did you go?!"
It took a moment before Sasuke realized that he hadn't told anyone that he had up and left. Scratching the back of his head with a wince, he shrugged sheepishly, a gesture she couldn't see.
"My bad."
"Your bad?! You didn't tell anyone where you went! You just split, we didn't know if you had run off, if you had gone to take on Ozai and that Obito guy by yourself, or maybe you had—"
Sasuke reached out and put a hand over her mouth, cutting her off her stream of worries.
I went with Iroh to look over the city's defenses."
As she made no immediate reply to this, her fury seemed to abate rather quickly at his words and he immediately picked up on her apprehension as she quietly asked, "Is… does the city… is there even a chance?"
She's scared. Bad. She thinks this is a lost cause.
"More than you might have guessed," Sasuke said gruffly and that seemed to perk her up just a bit. As she smiled softly, he sighed and reached out with one arm, pulling her to him in a sudden, tight hug. He heard her breath catch and he held her there only a moment before she slowly hugged him back.
"What was that for?" she asked breathlessly as he felt her hands against his back.
He sighed again. "I'm not great with affection and even less than that around more than one person. So, I figure I'd better do this now. Before we head inside and see everyone else."
Before I can't do it at all.
She gave him a squeeze. "I like you too, you know. Just wish you weren't such an asshole sometimes."
He grunted. "Afraid that can't be helped."
Toph gently pulled away from him, but didn't make to free herself from his arms. He looked down to see that her cheeks were red and he could feel her pulse hammering.
Oh no.
There were too many problems with this. It was supposed to be just a crush, everyone had them, why did this have to happen now, not when—
It happened quite quickly then and he just had time to react. Toph moved forward with a jerk, moving her lips towards his and there was a brief, singular moment in which Sasuke weighed the two options, but his decision wasn't difficult to make. Pulling his head just beyond her reach, her lips met empty air and she froze there, motionless for a moment. Then, tears burned at the corners of her eyes and she pulled away, clearing her throat as she pushed herself from him, standing and swinging her arms in a sad attempt to look nonchalant.
There was a great deal towards the situation he felt, emotions roiling inside him angrily, and though he knew now was not the time to deal with this, he knew he couldn't leave it at that.
"Toph…" he said quietly and she spoke up quite quickly, her voice a high and lofty level that told him she was trying very hard to keep herself together.
"No, I know," she said swiftly. "I know, that was stupid. I'm too young for stuff like that, right? And you and Azula have a thing. Or maybe it's actually Katara. I know it has to be one of them. I'm sure they're both much more your speed, trying to kill you and all."
Her words grew more and more shaky and Sasuke put a hand on his forehead, closing his eyes. Just as with Azula, this truly was not the time.
"I mean, I sort of tried to kill you when we first met. Maybe I should have tried harder. And I know you've kissed Azula, maybe Katara too. That's enough for you I suppose. I'm sure they're both way prettier and grown up than I am, anyway."
"Toph," Sasuke tried to interject, but she was on a roll.
"I'd need to be older and probably more interesting. You're super interesting and I really kind of like you, you know, and… I don't know, I guess I just wanted to try. Sorry."
That was the last of it before she turned away and opened the door that led onto the roof and walked down the stairs that led inside the building. Sasuke knew he heard a sob just before it closed behind her.
Sasuke spent a few long moments grinding his fingers against his temples with gritted teeth.
Fucking damn it all.
He waited near a minute before heading down the way Toph had gone down, trying to keep himself from smashing the door to pieces as he closed it. He waited just inside for a long couple moments to get his mind back on track.
As he entered the hallway along which ran a length of doorways that surely led to the rooms that had been allocated to his companions, he neared the first one and pushed the slightly ajar door open.
Katara was inside, focusing intently on Jin's midsection as both young women sat on the bed's side; water was being drawn across the now nasty gashing scar that crossed over Jin's stomach as Katara finished what she had started earlier that morning.
"It doesn't actually hurt all that bad," Jin was saying, chatting animatedly though it was impossible to tell if Katara's focus was even allowing her to pick up on any of what was being said. "Just when I move or twist a bunch. It's more like it's just kind of always numb, I guess, but that's better than it going crazy I guess and hurting like crazy…"
Sasuke politely cleared his throat, and even with that effort being made to interject as gently as he could, both of them still jumped sharply at his noise. The water Katara had been using to bend over Jin's wound dropped against her patient's garments, soaking into them as she got to her feet with wide eyes.
"Oh, Sasuke!" the waterbender said in surprise and Sasuke couldn't not notice the enormous change in tone she was using with him since their spell in the cave. It was much rather like she was doing her best to treat him the same way she did the others which was certainly nice enough, but the accusatory implications Toph had made still stuck in the back of Sasuke's mind and he found he couldn't get too thrilled about this newfound way she was addressing him.
"How are you feeling?" he asked and Jin dropped the hem of her robes that she had pulled up from her midsection and smiled at him.
"Better, thanks. I think it honestly scared me more than anything. Katara here is quite the miracle worker though, she's got me patched up pretty well."
Not for the first time, the notion that Azula could have done a great deal worse had he not interjected stuck in his mind and Sasuke could do more than offer a tiny smile and nod before he turned to Katara.
"And you?"
She seemed surprised again at his question and directed a finger at her own chest as if to confirm that he was indeed referring to her.
"I know that healing work takes a lot out of you," he clarified and her expression softened as she nodded, giving a sigh.
"Sleep helped. And there wasn't as much work to do this time, just going to be a healing process from here on out."
She cocked her head and looked out the doorway behind him, as though looking for someone. "Toph was looking for you I think, you should probably—"
"We've spoken already," Sasuke said abruptly and she closed her mouth, nodding. Eager to move the subject from anything regarding Toph specifically and knowing that there was little time to waste, he inquired, "Would you mind letting everyone know I'd like to see them all downstairs?"
Katara moved her eyes to his then and he could see the confusion there, but he made no effort to elaborate beyond saying, "That means you as well."
She opened and closed her mouth couple times before managing, "I… I suppose I can… but why…?"
"Thanks," he said, cutting her off and exited the room without another word. He trusted Katara to handle this request dutifully, likely in large part due to the fact that he was certain her curiosity would hardly allow her to not know exactly why he would make such a request. He walked quietly down the remainder of the hallway, hearing the occasional voices behind doors as he moved past; there was Aang and Zuko having a hushed conversation about something, Mai and Ty Lee speaking in slightly raised voices about something that was clearly a tad consternating, and while he made no effort to know whether or not Suki and Sokka were indeed behind a particular door, a couple sounds he heard in passing indicated it probably was them.
Sasuke moved down the wooden stairs that creaked underneath his feet as he reentered the main floor of the teashop. He found it deserted, all the tables and seats devoid of anyone else; he supposed a dine in at a restaurant was probably not on anyone's mind just about then. Pao himself seemed to be absent, not just from the main dining room, but from the shop itself; Sasuke poked his head into the kitchen, the storage closet and the access hall leading to the back door, but the owner was nowhere to be found. Perhaps he had gone out in search of Iroh, or perhaps after cooking for Sasuke's companions, he had taken to the streets himself, perhaps coming to the conclusion that an escape attempt was truly the best idea. Regardless, his absence was precisely what Sasuke could have hoped for and he worked a couple uses of jutsu to ensure that the only two entrances to the shop were locked tight. What was coming was rather personal and he didn't want anyone stumbling in on it.
Drawing near a table, he leaned against it, his palms resting on the smooth wood as he waited for his company to join him. It didn't take long; Aang and Zuko were downstairs in no more than a minute followed closely by Suki and Sokka, their slightly disheveled appearances pulling a mental smirk into Sasuke's head. Katara was down next, hands ready to steady a potentially unstable Jin who was waving off her attempts to help, but still seemed rather wobbly. Mai, Ty Lee and Toph were next, all with looks of confused suspicion; though he knew she couldn't see his expression, Sasuke still avoided Toph's eyes as she entered the room.
Azula was the last down, a slow and deliberate pace about her as she nearly sauntered into the dining room. She had changed out of her royal robes that she had been wearing for the majority of the trip, opting into a spare outfit rather similar to Jin's robes, though her hair had been done back up in its usual fashion. Sasuke found her dressing in more simple attire rather jarring and he blinked a moment at her before she looked to the floor, avoiding his gaze. She kept her head down despite the distantly resentful and disgruntled look, joining the group as they gathered around where Sasuke stood.
Good, he thought to himself as he noted her rather ashamed reaction to seeing him, rather like a dog that had been harshly scolded. Hopefully she'll behave herself.
They all gathered up in a sort of semicircle around him, Jin and Sokka being the only two to pull up chairs, the others remaining on their feet. The looks on interest, curiosity and suspicion on their faces told him that they were indeed surely wanting to know exactly what the nature of these summons were. As they all settled in, Sasuke looked around at each and every one of them before sighing. This was going to be obnoxiously difficult.
"I'm sure you've all looked outside by now," he started with and the ensuing silence and grim expressions that surrounded him confirmed his statement. He jerked a thumb over his shoulder.
"I was out with Iroh looking over the city's defenses. Military command estimates we only have hours before the Fire Nation fleet will be visible at which point things are going to likely get worse before they get better."
He figured that honesty was likely his best course forward, primarily because he couldn't think of any lies that might aid in securing what he was about to ask.
"I fully intend to aid the city's defenders and beat back the Fire Lord's invasion. It will be a task, trying to make sure I can help on all fronts especially with how juiced the Fire Nation's benders will be, but I'm confident my assistance might very well prove to be a turning point to what was assumed to be a losing fight."
"What if Obito shows up?" Azula asked coldly and Sasuke regarded the almost challenging gaze she was directing towards him.
"Then I'll deal with him," he said and she made no further comment.
"What's this about, Sasuke?" Zuko asked finally, and Sasuke supposed he couldn't stall much longer. He sighed again through his nose and rubbed the bridge of it slowly, trying to find the best way to articulate what he wanted to say.
"I suppose," he said slowly, "that time has given me something I didn't quite expect to have, not after a relatively brief period and not after some snags along the way."
He moved his eyes amongst them all again and shook his head, a smile passing over his lips at the sheer irony of all this.
"But I have to be honest and speak my mind here. It stands to reason that I've grown to develop…
Just say it.
"Feelings, for all of you, all to certain extents and levels, but I suppose that's made me what you might call concerned for your wellbeing."
He saw widened eyes and looks of bewilderment at his words and he tried to ignore them. The gravity of what was truly about to happen made speaking then become much easier and he heard his own voice darken as he continued.
"At the end of the day, this is a war. Before the day is out, a lot of people are going to die. And like it or not, it just so happens that you're all a bunch of kids."
As expected, this issued some backlash and Toph, Mai, Katara and Suki all began to raise voices angrily and he held up a hand.
"Please let me finish."
Through some miracle, everyone quieted, though angry expressions across the board were now leveled his way.
"I don't say that as an insult," Sasuke said calmly. "You're all young. You've dealt with things many adults will never have to deal with, things that should never have been put on your shoulders and things that will haunt you for the rest of your life."
He saw sobering expressions pass over Aang, Katara and Sokka's faces though the still angry expressions he saw on the faces of others seemed to challenge him.
"This will be as dangerous as anything you've had to face up until now, likely a great deal worse. These aren't little hit squads coming with the intent to capture. Ozai will no doubt have given every single one of his soldiers the purest form of command he can muster: to give no quarter. These are benders that will be exhibiting great increases in firepower and they will be coming at you with intent to kill."
Zuko made to step forward, fire crackling his wrists.
"Me and my sister are some of the best firebenders to come out of the Fire Nation! You think some footsoldier would be able to give us a problem?"
Sasuke shrugged. "Maybe. Maybe not. Maybe they underestimate you, or you underestimate them. And regardless, there are thousands coming. You think you can handle them all at once?"
This seemed to cow Zuko enough to cause him to back down, looking still angry, but now at war with his own thoughts, no doubt pondering Sasuke's words.
Putting her hands on the back of Jin's chair, Suki spoke quietly and deliberately then, "I know what you're about to do, Sasuke."
"Oh?" he asked and as she looked up to meet his eyes, he saw sadness in her gaze, hidden behind determination.
"You're going to ask us all not to fight," she said through tight lips. "You're going to ask us all to stay behind and not chance getting hurt."
Everyone looked to her and then back to Sasuke, every pair of eyes expectant in their own way. Sasuke met a few of them in turn before sighing yet again.
"You're right," he said and there was an immediate rush of noise and movement. Ty Lee shook her head and turned away, throwing her hands up as Mai crossed her arms and gave him a hard look. Suki rolled her eyes and looked away as she made a derisive noise while Sokka lowered his head and rubbed the back of his neck, looking very perturbed. Aang looked nothing short of deeply sad, a sharp contrast to the complete disgust that was on the faces of Azula, Toph, Zuko and Katara. Of the four of them, Katara was the one to speak up in a loud, angry voice, very reminiscent of how she had treated him prior to his saving her life on the Azulon.
"You have to be joking! This will decide the fate of all the Nations, not just this city! This isn't just some conquest for Ozai, he wins this day, and he wins the war!"
"I know," Sasuke said, his voice remaining calm and Zuko took up the angry annunciation of their feelings as Katara glared at Sasuke with disbelief on her face.
"My father has to be stopped! We can all fight, we will fight! We're not helpless, you know! You call us kids, but we're stronger than you think!"
"I know," Sasuke repeated and silence fell then as he allowed himself to be regarded with a wide variety of emotions, most of them bordering on outright rage. He allowed the immediate moment to pass before resuming speaking. He had a feeling that this wasn't a fight he was going to win, but he at least wanted to leave everything on the table if this truly was it.
"You're all incredibly strong in your own way and right. I just want you to know that… it's not necessary. You don't need to prove anything to anyone now. The things you've done, what you've had to suffer and sacrifice, you've made it this far. Aang is alive, he is hope by very nature of his being, if I'm understanding the way of your world, anyway."
Sasuke realized then that there was a lie he could indeed tell, one that might make something of a difference.
"I will be more than enough to win this day. Obito caught me off guard on the ship, that was all. Now that I know he's a player, I'll be ready for him and the rest of Ozai's forces don't stand a chance. You all think you know what I'm capable of, but I'm going to give them hell unlike anything they could expect."
He clasped his hands at his waist in front of him.
"But I won't be able to keep an eye on all of you while I'm doing that."
Azula spoke quietly, her voice a lash of venom, "We don't need your supervision like we're toddlers."
Sasuke ground his teeth around inside his mouth angrily; his point, the overall emotion of what he had ben trying to convey clearly wasn't getting across. And his pride and utter hatred for this kind of conversation kept him from just coming out and saying what he wanted to say. He closed his eyes and prepared to snap that everyone just forget it, it hadn't been that big of a deal and he just had wanted—
"Everyone'll be okay, Sasuke"
He opened his eyes at the soft voice that had come his way and he saw that everyone else had turned their eyes to Jin. She was still sitting in her chair, despite having been utterly forgotten in the conversation. The words being thrown that would likely have reduced anyone to utter silence seemed to have not frightened her off and as he looked into her eyes, he saw the purest form of understanding there that nearly was enough to strike a cord in his heart.
"You're worried about everyone here," she said, gesturing around. "You're worried that something will happen to them, something you'll blame yourself for. Something maybe you could have stopped."
He could do nothing but stare at her, wondering how in the world she had managed to articulate his point not only accurately, but with much more conciseness and honesty than he every would have been able to. At the surely partially stunned expression on his face, Jin smiled softly.
"It's in your eyes."
Sasuke leaned back and turned his gaze down, swallowing as he did, a feeling of vulnerability crossing over him. He hated that feeling almost more than anything.
"But if you really do all you say you're going to, you have nothing to worry about."
At this, he looked back to her and saw her giving him a reassuring look. "You're fine, Sasuke, everything's going to be fine."
There was little else he could do but let her words settle over the room and try and ignore the looks that were surely bouncing between him and Jin. But after several long moments, Mai took a step forward and he turned to meet her gaze. Though she still wore a hardened expression, there was something in her eyes too, a softness he wasn't sure he had seen there before.
"She's right. Everyone plays their part and we all come out of this just fine."
Her flat and level tone was as reassuring as anything could be and Ty Lee stepped up next to her, a look of grudging affection on her face.
"Yeah. Besides, you don't need to worry about watching our back, since we're going to be watching yours."
This seemed to take Aang out of his depressed state and he too took a step forward. Sasuke looked into the kid's eyes and saw steel there. He remembered the conversation he and Aang had shared about duty and doing what was expected and wondered if the Avatar was remembering the words they had shared as well.
"We're going to help, Sasuke," he said firmly. "I won't lie and say I'm not scared, but we owe it to the people of this city and all the people around the world we're about to fight for."
Sokka reached out and squeezed Aang's shoulder with an expression of something like pride. Next to him, Suki kissed his cheek and then looked towards Sasuke with a confident smile.
"So, why don't you show us where Iroh and everyone are positioned? Be good to know where we'll be fighting from."
She made it sound as casual as she could, but even with the glowing confidence of her, of Aang, of the others as they stepped forward, Sasuke couldn't bring himself to smile back. Of all of the people before him, he still saw the sadness on Toph's face, the fury and drive on Azula's as she glowered from the back of the group. Worry was deeply present in the eyes of Katara who was doing her best to not show it and Sasuke finally looked towards Jin who too had a sad expression on her face. As he looked at her longer, he realized there was a sincere apology there as well.
She knew that's not something anyone can guarantee.
He looked back to his companions, all standing before him and looking as ready as they might ever be for war.
Fine. Why do I care anyway, they want to go risking their lives for no reason.
Without looking at any of them in the eye, he turned and made for the door, leaving them to follow behind as he stepped into the ominous, dark glow of Sozin's Comet.